An update from Zimbabwe

The Green Match 2024 campaign was a huge success, and Working for Bees – the Zimbabwe partner of Bees for Development – are starting work with groups of women and their wider communities.

Some of the positive impacts that will be realized as a result of the Bees and Trees project include contributing towards reducing hunger, poverty alleviation, mitigating climate change and promoting biodiversity.

Benefits for women

As a result of the Bees and Trees project, the women involved will have a steady income from the selling of honey and other related products such as beeswax, body cream, candles, floor polish and honey wine. This can be used to buy food, clothes for children, payment of school fees and transport for school children, pay for medical expenses, peasant farming inputs and repair of houses.

The project will also bring with it respect for the women participants who will be viewed as role models rich with knowledge and skills within their communities. It is a great hope that the project area will be viewed as a home for honey and in turn this will attract passers-by and traders to visit the area.

As trees are planted, the existing forest boundaries will stop receding and firewood will be easy to obtain for the women. This will also benefit the children who will be able to collect some wild fruits, when they visit their mothers’ apiaries to check on bee hives. Generational beekeeping can easily follow, as children will learn about beekeeping at a young age and can pass on the skill to the next generation. Eating fruits guarantees the children improved nutrition and health.

Benefits for the environment

The Bees and Trees project will help people to live more sustainably and appreciate the ‘one community, one community forest’ agenda which promotes forest-friendly alternatives for diversification. This includes ensuring that the tree establishment, regenerative and conservation activities and restoration of degraded areas will be done with respect for the ecosystem as well as cultural and spiritual values.

Next Steps

Working for Bees are now doing a lot of preparatory work to get started with the project. We have engaged Forestry Commission Zimbabwe and have identified an appropriate site for our bee friendly tree nursery. Watch this space for more updates as they come.

You can support this and other similar projects around the world by making a donation to Bees for Development: